Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to solar power systems, and, more specifically, to a technique for pricing a solar power system.
Description of the Related Art
Solar power systems have provided a source of renewable energy for decades. These systems are configured by either manually or automatically selecting from a range of design options including, for example, solar panel type and placement. In recent years, the majority of these systems have been provided to customers as equipment leases or Power Purchase Agreements (“PPA”) requiring the collaboration of multiple parties including the financier, property owner, builder and seller. Pricing solutions for these financed solar power systems are determined by a sales expert who explores values for various pricing parameters such as the down payment, the lease term or the annual rate adjustment. The sales expert then selects configurations and pricing solutions to present to the customer.
One problem with conventional pricing methodologies is that the sales person has limited ability to explore the potentially millions of pricing solutions created by the combinations of pricing parameters. This problem is compounded by the fact that not all pricing solutions are viable for all of the parties involved.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is an improved technique for pricing solar power systems.